Aug. 14, 2007
2007 Women’s Schedule | Men’s Schedule
Nashville, Tenn. – The Vanderbilt women’s and men’s cross country teams head into 2007 full of excitement looking to build upon last season’s performance.
Last fall, the women’s team placed first in the Commodore Classic, second in the Blue Ridge Open, fifth in the Belmont Invite, and had a good showing in the SEC tournament, finishing seventh overall. The men’s team won the Commodore Classic and was runner-up in the Belmont Invite but finished tenth in the conference meet.
The Commodores open the 2007 season on August 31 with the Belmont Opener at Percy Warner Park and follow up on September 15 hosting the Commodore Classic.
According to Head Coach Steve Keith, expect the 2007 cross country schedule to be more difficult than ever before. The Commodore Classic will include tough competition from Missouri, Clemson, and Georgia Tech. Following the opening home stand, the Commodores travel to Louisville and William and Mary.
“At the end of September, the women’s team will be running at a meet against some top 20 competition over at William and Mary (VA),” Keith said.
The road does not get any easier for the Commodores who conclude regular season competition at Arkansas before the SEC and NCAA Regional Championships. Keith added, “At Arkansas, there will be at least six to eight women’s teams ranked in the top thirty in the country. We’re trying to up the quality in the level of competition we run against. We need to increase our accomplishments and our performances so that each year we have higher expectations.”
The final home event at Percy Warner Park is the Southeastern Classic slated for October 20. Vanderbilt runners will also take part in Race for the Cure on November 3 at the Bicentennial Mall. Race for the Cure is a charity race open to public participation that raises awareness for the fight against breast cancer.
Returning Runners to Remember
Junior Carmen Mims and senior Julie Eckerly lead the pack of returning lettermen for the women’s team. Mims missed qualifying for the NCAA national tournament by one place in track last season, running the 5,000-meter event in regional competition with a time of 16:29. Eckerly’s best feat during the 2006 cross country season came in the Commodore Classic where she finished third overall.
On the men’s side, senior Austin Williamson and sophomore Thomas Davis will lead the men’s team. An SEC athlete of the week honoree last season, Williamson is the defending champion in the Commodore Classic, winning the event with a time of 26:32. Williamson also finished fifth overall in the 2006 Belmont Invitational and was the team’s fastest runner in three out of six total meets. Davis’ best performance came in the Belmont Invitational, finishing sixth overall. Davis also was the team’s fastest runner in the 2006 Blue Ridge Open.
Foot Locker Finalist is Newcomer to Watch
The women’s team has ten new freshmen, headlined by Rita Jorgenson, one of the most talented recruits in some time with the Vanderbilt cross country program.
Jorgenson arrives in Music City from White Station High School in Memphis with five individual Tennessee state championships on her resume. As a senior, Jorgenson won the 800m, 1600m, 3200m, and anchored the winning 4x800m relay team while helping White Station win the 2007 team championship.
Jorgenson qualified for the Foot Locker South Region meet in Charlotte, N.C., and ran a personal best time of 17:23 in the 5,000-meter event to claim eighth place overall. She then advanced to the Foot Locker National Finals in San Diego, Calif., and finished 38th overall in the same event. On the track, Jorgenson posted personal best times of 10:35.55 in the 2-mile at the Nike Indoor National Meet in Maryland and 4:49.9 in the mile during the outdoor season.
“She comes into Vanderbilt with probably the best credentials of any recruit we have ever had,” said Keith. “She knows that high level, and I think she will be able to contribute quite a bit as a freshman.”